Food preparation sink trash interceptor

ABSTRACT

A garbage disposer replacement unit for straining food waste comprises a drainage means fitted to one or more sink for transporting food wastes to a sewer system, a main body connected in series with the drainage means, the main body having a reservoir and a number of legs for supporting the main body above a floor, a tray slidingly suspended within the main body above the reservoir, wherein the tray has fine bottom perforations, and a draining basket removably positioned under the drainage means for catching escaped wastes bypassing the main body. The tray of the main body retains small particles food waste via fine bottom perforations. The tray has a large top opening and a centrally opened adaptor plate to redefine the top opening to fit with the drainage means for the existing sinks in the kitchen.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation-in-part application of co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 11/285,520 filed Nov. 22, 2005.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a garbage disposal, and more particularly to a garbage disposer unit for use in food industries to replace motorized disposers that have become an environmentally harmful way to dispose of food wastes.

B. Description of Related Art

Restaurant food waste from rinsed dirty dishes is an environmental problem. Garbage disposers are highly efficient at disposing of food waste at a high rate, unfortunately they have other problems. Drain waste has the potential to create public health hazards. Excessive food service waste can overburden community wastewater systems and consequently, the oceans and streams of our natural environment. In this regard, the currently popular powered garbage disposers are problematic. Heavy-duty disposers have a high initial cost and maintenance with lost operation time at busy restaurants when they need fast dish washing with food disposal. Some cities such as Irvine, Calif. have banned garbage disposers because of the environmental awareness that the motorized disposers basically excrete food waste in a slurry state to the rivers and public facilities where it is difficult to be recycled into potable water. Thus, the food waste will eventually end up in the ocean where it can cause bacteria blooms and other environmental disasters.

One alternative to the garbage disposer is a strainer system to catch food waste from rinsed dirty dishes. Strainers built into the piping system have been used for more than a hundred years. U.S. Pat. No. 495,998 shows a sink trap design patented in 1893, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. A larger unit is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 960,901 to Hall for a trap for kitchen sinks patented in 1910, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Hall shows a top strainer removable for cleaning and a bottom strainer. A horizontal line strainer was invented by Buker as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,915,188 patented in 1957, the disclosure which is incorporated herein by reference. The Buker device allows a continuous horizontal flow having a removable screen. A more recent improvement is seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,045,351 to Peterson patented Aug. 30th 1977, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The Petersen device has a removable strainer mounted below a sink. While the previously cited patented inventions may help with household drain straining, they are not well suited to a high flow restaurant type of environment. They also have inconvenient design features that would not allow their use as a replacement of a garbage disposer.

U.S. application Ser. No. 11/285,520 filed by the present inventor and incorporated in its entirety herein by reference discloses a garbage disposer replacement unit that is fixed under a kitchen sink where an electric disposer has left. The garbage disposer replacement unit includes a pre-rinse basket with food waste straining holes. The unit comprises a main body housing a tray slidingly suspended that retains small particles food waste via fine bottom perforations. The tray has a top opening larger than a drain diameter of an existing bus bowl in a kitchen. A plastic clip disc pairs with top clip members to clip the main body onto bus bowl flanges. A clip disc drain adapter adjusts and adapts the unit's outlet to different drain diameters of existing bus bowl fixtures. The clip disc and top clip members constitute a clip assembly for adjustably clipping the unit main body to the given drain flange. Optionally, a four-legged riser replaces the clip assembly to attach to the unit main body top for bus bowls with a flangeless standard drain fitting.

It is also necessary to be able to have a flexible range of placements of such garbage disposer replacement unit to adapt to various kitchen space requirements.

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a garbage disposer replacement unit that can replace a motorized disposer at any place about the kitchen sink using readily available plumbing members.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a self-supporting garbage disposer replacement unit that does not require a special fixture to the sink.

Yet another embodiment of the present invention is to provide a means for simply adapting the garbage disposer replacement unit to fit different diameters of the drainage system of individual kitchens.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A garbage disposer replacement unit according to the present invention provides a means for straining food waste more environmentally friendly and comprises a drainage means fitted to one or more sink for transporting food wastes to a sewer system, a main body connected in series with the drainage means, the main body having a reservoir and a number of legs for supporting the main body above a floor, a tray slidingly suspended within the main body above the reservoir, wherein the tray has fine bottom perforations, and a draining basket removably positioned under the drainage means for catching escaped wastes bypassing the main body.

The tray of the main body retains small particles food waste via fine bottom perforations. The tray has a large top opening and a centrally opened adaptor plate to redefine the top opening to fit with the drainage means for the existing sinks in the kitchen.

The main body of the garbage disposer replacement unit also has a large opening on its top surface and a set of adaptor plates each having a predetermined diameter of central opening and a number of peripheral bolt holes for attaching a selected adaptor plate to the main body for redefining the large opening of the main body to fit with the drainage means.

The supporting legs of the main body each has threaded sections movable relative to each other along a common longitudinal axis to adjust the length of the leg, whereby the main body stands at level.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the garbage disposer replacement unit according to the present invention as applied to a kitchen sink.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the main body of the garbage disposer replacement unit of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of an adjustable leg supporting the garbage disposer replacement unit of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIG. 1, a garbage disposer replacement unit 10 according to the present invention is in an exploded view to show its installation to a kitchen sink 11 at a drainage system 12 between an upper stream section 13 and a lower stream section 14 typical in a kitchen setting. The kitchen sink 11 may be a double bowl sink having a long-spout faucet 15 and is connected at its bowls to a three-bowl drain 16 with a single outlet 17 to which an extra sink 18 is connected.

The lower stream section 14 comprises a first elbow 19 facing upwardly and a second elbow 20 facing downwardly. The main garbage unit 10 stands on its own legs 21 under the sink 11 and is connected in series with the drainage system 12 between the upper and lower stream sections 13, 14. On the floor, a drain basket 22 is laid for a secondary filtering of waste water from the garbage unit 10 at a final stage before it goes down the sewage system.

Referring to FIG. 2, the garbage unit 10 comprises a main body 30 constructed by sheets of stainless steel bent and welded into a shape of a drawer box with a deep bottom floor for holding an accumulation of food wastes for controlled disposal. The main body 30 is raised from the floor by the three legs 21 having threaded feet 23, respectively. It has a large top opening 24 and an adaptor plate 25 with a selected diameter of center hole 26 to accept the drainage system 12 fitting with kitchen sink 11. The plate 25 is fastened to the top surface of the main body 30 by four sets of bolts 27 and nuts 28 at four bolt holes 29.

Also, the main body 30 has a front rectangular opening 31 though which a tray 32 enters and slidably suspended in the interior of the main body 30. An oversized handle 33 is attached to the front side of the tray 32 for handling the same in its sliding in and out as well as transporting the wastes filtered at the tray 32. The primarily filtered wastewater flows down to a drain outlet 34 formed in the bottom of the main body 30.

The drain outlet 34 of the main body 30 is adapted to connect with the draining system 12.

The basket 30 has multiple straining holes for filtering food wastes off dishes by dishwashing personnel who will use the sink unit 10. The straining basket has straining holes preferably circular 4-7 mm diameter. The basket straining holes can be adjusted by about 60% without substantial performance degradation, but the best mode is 5-6 mm.

The tray 32 is in the shape of a drawer with four sidewalls and a bottom wall formed with perforations 35 to filter out wastes primarily. The tray perforations are preferably 1-3 mm diameter circular apertures. The diameter can be adjusted by about up to 40% without substantial performance degradation, but the best mode is 2 mm.

The main body 30 is provided by a number of sheet members which may comprise a side plate 36 bent generally in U-shape, a front plate 37 for closing substantially the bottom half of an end opening of the side plate 36, a rear plate for closing the entire opposite end opening of the side plate 36 and a top plate 38 to cover the top opening of the side plate 36. Stainless steel may be used for making the main body 30. It may be fabricated by known methods of fastening metal such as stamping, spot welding, laser welding to name a few.

The rectangular opening 31 is slanted backwardly relative to the face of the adjacent front plate 37 extending its latitudinal dimension so that the tray 32 may enter and exit the main body 30 rapidly and repeatedly with ease even during busy kitchen hours.

The opening 24 formed in the top plate 38 occupies the substantial area thereof and is redefined by the center hole 26 of the adaptor plate 25. The adaptor plate 25 is also a flat disc with a plurality of peripheral holes where the bolts 27 are threaded through the top plate 38. In the present embodiment, four bolt holes are formed. A set of adaptor plates 25 may be provided with different diameters of the center hole 26 from which an installer of the garbage unit 10 selects the best fit with the particular drainage system 12.

Pair of horizontal guide rails 40 having an L-shaped cross section are welded inside of the side plate 36 opposing each other at a level slightly lower than an upper edge 41 of the front plate 37 to provide a safety stop against an involuntary slippage of the tray 32 out of the main body 30. To remove the tray 32, a user starts by pulling the handle 33 slightly upward to clear the safety stop and draw the tray 32 out to empty the tray of food particles. The minimum food particles caught by the tray are preferably between 2-5 mm in size. This would capture most rice, grains and small sized bread particles. The food particles retained within this tray may increase in size as they absorb water.

A reservoir 42 is formed in the bottom half of the main body 30 below the top half area devoted to the tray area. The guide rails 40 hold the tray within the tray area above the reservoir 42. The reservoir 42 is formed between the sidewalls 36 and front wall 37 above the main body drain 34. During normal use, when the tray 32 is pulled out to remove wastes the reservoir 42 initially receives newly introduced debris through the upper tray area and passes it down to the lower drainage section 14 for the subsequent collection at the drain basket 22 as described above with reference to FIG. 1.

Then, the reservoir 42 may fill up in case of drainage block. The reservoir thus operates as a buffer against water overflowing from the front opening 31 over the front edge 41.

FIG. 3 shows one of the legs 21 supporting the garbage unit main body 30 in greater detail. The leg 21 comprises an inverted frusto-conical pillar 43, a cylindrical core 44 bored centrally with female threads and the foot 23 having its top extension 45 threaded into the cylindrical core 44.

The cylindrical core 44 is fixed concentrically to the interior of the pillar 43 through a plurality of vertical vanes 46 and has a top shaft 47 threaded externally to allow fastening the leg 21 to the body 30. Nut 48 and washer 49 may be used to secure the top shaft 46 of the leg 22 penetrating a bolt hole 50 through the bottom wall of the main body 30. In addition, the foot 23 is provided with engagement faces 51 at its bottom end to facilitate turning the foot 23 about the pillar 43.

The garbage disposer replacement unit 10 of the present invention is not limited in installation to replace single existing garbage disposer but multiple compartments of more than one sink may be connected to the single disposer unit 10 in order to achieve a concentrated and thus quick sanitary disposal of food wastes even from a heavy-duty kitchen sinks.

Therefore, while the presently preferred form of the garbage disposer replacement unit has been shown and described, and several modifications thereof discussed, persons skilled in this art will readily appreciate that various additional changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, as defined and differentiated by the following claims. 

1. A garbage disposer replacement unit for straining food waste comprising: a. a drainage means fitted to one or more sink for transporting food wastes to a sewer system; b. a main body connected in series with the drainage means, the main body having a reservoir and a number of legs for supporting the main body above a floor; c. a tray slidingly suspended within the main body above the reservoir, wherein the tray has fine bottom perforations; and d. a draining basket removably positioned under the drainage means for catching escaped wastes bypassing the main body.
 2. The garbage disposer replacement unit of claim 1, wherein the fine bottom perforations are about 2 mm diameter circular apertures.
 3. The garbage disposer replacement unit of claim 1, further comprising: a. a large opening on the top surface of the main body; b. a set of adaptor plates each having a predetermined diameter of central opening and a number of peripheral bolt holes for attaching a selected adaptor plate to the main body for redefining the large opening of the main body to fit with the drainage means.
 4. The garbage disposer replacement unit of claim 1, wherein the supporting legs of the main body each has threaded sections movable relative to each other along a common longitudinal axis to adjust the length of the leg, whereby the main body stands at level.
 5. A garbage disposer replacement unit for straining food waste comprising: a. one or more sinks; the sinks receiving restaurant wastewater; b. a drain receiving restaurant wastewater from the one or more sinks; c. a main body connected in series with the drain, the main body having a reservoir and a number of legs for supporting the main body above a floor; d. a tray slidingly suspended within the main body above the reservoir for catching particles in restaurant wastewater, wherein the tray has fine bottom perforations; and e. a draining basket removably positioned under the drain.
 6. The garbage disposer replacement unit of claim 5, wherein the fine bottom perforations are about 2 mm diameter circular apertures.
 7. The garbage disposer replacement unit of claim 5, further comprising: a. a large opening on the top surface of the main body; b. a set of adaptor plates each having a predetermined diameter of central opening and a number of peripheral bolt holes for attaching a selected adaptor plate to the main body for redefining the large opening of the main body to fit with the drainage means.
 8. The garbage disposer replacement unit of claim 5, wherein the supporting legs of the main body each has threaded sections movable relative to each other along a common longitudinal axis to adjust the length of the leg, whereby the main body stands at level.
 9. A garbage disposer replacement unit for straining food waste from one or more sinks comprising: a. a drain receiving restaurant wastewater; b. a main body connected in series with the drain, the main body having a reservoir and a number of legs for supporting the main body above a floor; c. a tray slidingly suspended within the main body above the reservoir for catching particles in restaurant wastewater, wherein the tray has fine bottom perforations; and d. a draining basket removably positioned under the drain.
 10. The garbage disposer replacement unit of claim 9, wherein the fine bottom perforations are about 2 mm diameter circular apertures.
 11. The garbage disposer replacement unit of claim 9, further comprising: a. a large opening on the top surface of the main body; b. a set of adaptor plates each having a predetermined diameter of central opening and a number of peripheral bolt holes for attaching a selected adaptor plate to the main body for redefining the large opening of the main body to fit with the drainage means.
 12. The garbage disposer replacement unit of claim 9, wherein the supporting legs of the main body each has threaded sections movable relative to each other along a common longitudinal axis to adjust the length of the leg, whereby the main body stands at level. 